Hopps Honeymoon
by TatorTotTottish
Summary: A sequel to "Wilde Wedding," finally married, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde venture to the Canal District for a week-long honeymoon trip. From the beach to the Zootopia Space Station, the couple has a fun vacation ahead, but when strange things start to occur, Judy is forced to face the past in a way that leaves her reeling. WARNING: some chapters depict graphic scenes. JudyxNick
1. Chapter 1

"Nick, come _on_. We have a flight in the morning!"

"Hmm?"

"You know you're too heavy for me to lift, and lifting drunk you is like lifting dead weight!"

"Tha's rude, Carrot."

"It's Carrot _s_."

It was nearing three in the morning on a warm Sunday night in early June. Judy Wilde couldn't help but laugh as she continued to attempt to pull Nick Wilde from their large black, ZPD-issued SUV. The car was parked in the driveway outside of the couple's home, a home that they had now owned for almost four years. Nick was dressed in dark grey slacks and a (now wrinkled and untucked) white button-up undershirt. The sleeves of his shirt were haphazardly rolled partially up his arms and more than a few of the shirt's buttons were undone. The fox's hair was ruffled in places, a final touch to his overall drunk demeanor. Judy, who was completely sober, was dressed in a one-shoulder black party dress that cinched at the waist and flared at the skirt, complimenting her figure. She stood beside the SUV's open passenger-side door, her paws on her hips as she watched the fox attempt to remove himself from the vehicle.

Approximately fourteen hours earlier, the two had married each other.

Approximately fourteen hours earlier, at around one o'clock, Nick had stood in the Zootopia Natural History Museum's event room (wearing a dark grey suit, his undershirt a crisp white and his vest a light brown) and had watched Judy (wearing the "fairy tale" dress of her dreams with a fitted bodice and a full skirt that flared at the waist) walk down the aisle right to him, where the two had said "I do."

A few hours before that, the couple had spent the entire morning setting up the final preparations of the wedding they had spent months planning.

A few hours after that, the couple gave heart-warming toasts, shoved wedding cake in one another's faces, and danced to their favorite music, until the night turned late and almost every guest was too drunk to get home.

At about ten o'clock that night, Judy and Nick's parents had departed, as well as a few of the more reserved guests, such as Chief Bogo. Judy's parents were staying at a nearby hotel, and were planning to leave to return to Bunnyburrow in the morning. Nick's mother, accompanied by Judy and Nick's four very exhausted children – Alan, Red, Robin, and Violet – had returned to her home. Mrs. Wilde had also taken Judy's wedding dress for safe keeping after the bunny had changed into something more comfortable.

The wedding's after-party ended around one in the morning, about twelve hours after the official ceremony. After the guests said their "good-byes" and their "congratulations," Judy had helped the waiters and wedding staff clean up what she could before dragging a very inebriated fox to their car and driving the two of them home.

Now, here they were.

"Nick, you're going to hate getting up early in the morning."

"Why we gettin' up early?" the fox slurred.

"We have a flight at nine, remember? Week-long honeymoon trip to the Canal District; just the two of us?"

The fox didn't answer, only continued to stare at the rabbit with his eyebrows furrowed.

"We still have a few things to pack," Judy continued. "I also want to say good-bye to the kids before we leave them at your mother's all week."

Again, Nick didn't reply, only nodded sloppily, which made Judy chuckle.

"That means," the bunny giggled. "We have to _get up_ _early_."

At this, the fox groaned, completely annoyed with this fact.

"I don' wanna do that," Nick whined.

"You don't have much of a choice, Mr. Wilde," Judy laughed, "Come on."

Judy tried to drag her husband from the car once more, but found herself unsuccessful yet again.

"You're cute, ya know that?" Nick chuckled at the huffing bunny.

"Yes, yes, I'm very cute. Will you get out of the car now?"

"Ya have a boyfriend?" the fox hiccupped.

"I'm married," Judy scoffed as she held up a paw, her wedding ring catching the moonlight and sparkling slightly.

"Gross," Nick said with a shrug. "I'll never get married."

"Nick, Sweetie," Judy laughed as she held up his own paw to show him his wedding band. "You _are_ married."

"Wha–?" the fox asked, incredulous. "To who?"

"To me."

"To you?"

Judy nodded in reply, trying not to burst into a fit of laughter at the expression on Nick's face.

"You're hot," Nick continued, seemingly trying to convince himself that he was indeed married.

"Why is it," Judy giggled. "That every time you're drunk, you comment on my looks?"

"Sorry," Nick grumbled in reply.

"Can we go in the house now?"

"We live 'ere?"

"Yes, we live here."

"Big house."

"Well, we do have four children."

"Wha–?" Nick asked, shocked once more by Judy's words.

"Mmm-hmm," Judy smiled. " _Four_ of them."

"Four?"

"And we've got more on the way."

" _Wha_ –?"

Nick nearly fell out of the car, and Judy was too busy laughing that she almost didn't catch the fox in time.

"That figures," Judy scoffed. "Last time I told you I was pregnant, you got just as drunk and forgot. I bet anything you'll wake up tomorrow and think this was just some crazy dream… _again_."

It wasn't a dream, though. Just a few days before the wedding, Judy had learned that she was once again expecting, and had only gotten around to telling Nick earlier that night while the two danced at their wedding. She was seven weeks pregnant, about to give her four children who knows how many little siblings.

"Am I dreamin'?" Nick rubbed his head with a paw.

"Yes, Honey, you are," Judy smiled. "Let's go inside."

At this, Nick managed to slide from the car in a very ungraceful manner. He then heavily relied on physical support from Judy as the two made their way into the house. After several stumbling steps, and a lot of determination that was required to get Nick up the stairs, the couple was finally in bed. Judy changed into pajamas, but when she tried to get Nick into comfortable clothes, he pushed away from her, insisting he was married. An amused Judy, too exhausted to argue, let him sleep in the remains of his suit.

The next morning, Nick awoke to a pounding headache and a rabbit somewhat aggressively shaking him.

"Wha's happenin'?" he mumbled, trying to go back to sleep and ignore the figure hovering over him.

"What's happening," Judy exclaimed as she continued to shake Nick awake. "Is we're going to miss our flight if you don't get your tail in gear."

"I'm up, I'm up," Nick eventually grumbled, sitting up in bed with as much energy he could muster.

That was a short-lived action, though, as he immediately slumped back into the warm bed, quickly burying himself under the covers.

"You really don't do well with alcohol," Judy sighed as she pulled the fox upward again.

She then immediately shoved a cup of coffee into Nick's paws, which he was surprisingly grateful for.

"I'm going to finish packing. I recommend you shower; you stink," Judy smirked.

" _You_ stink," Nick complained quietly as he dragged his feet to the bathroom.

"I heard that," Judy sang after him.

"Yeah, yeah, super-sonic hearing, I _know_ ," Nick called, dramatically gesturing with his arms before disappearing into the bathroom, Judy smirking again as he did so.

At the sound of the shower running, Judy, who was already dressed in navy jeans and a maroon hoodie, finished packing their things for the trip. Making sure that they had everything they needed, and even doing a final walk-through of the house to be absolutely sure of that fact, Judy found herself satisfied and zipped her and Nick's suitcases shut. She then carried each of their suitcases down to the parked SUV in the driveway out front, where she easily packed them into the trunk of the vehicle.

"Good to go," Judy stated proudly to herself, taking a moment to admire her packing skills and feel the cool early morning breeze on her fur.

The bunny then shut the back of the car, turned toward the house, and immediately collided with Nick.

" _Ah_!" Judy shrieked, jumping back immediately. " _Nick_! You almost gave me a heart attack! Announce yourself next time!"

Nick, who was now dressed in his usual khaki pants and his green Hawaiian button-up shirt, stood with his paws partially outstretched toward Judy, a very stunned and excited look on his face. Judy, who had just been clutching at her chest, trying to catch her breath after the scare, now stopped and began staring at the still fox.

"Nick?"

Again, Nick remained silent, but his face split into a joyful grin and his eyes widened with amusement.

"Uh, Nick?" Judy asked again, watching the fox with a very concerned expression. "Are you having a stroke here?"

"I remember."

Judy waited for Nick to elaborate, but when he only continued to grin at her, the bunny threw her paws up in a gesture of pure confusion.

"I'm sorry?" she asked, somewhat amused. "Is this the plot of _Memento_?"

"No, I'm saying I'm not hungover!"

"Congratulations?" Judy chuckled. "Though, with the way you woke up this morning, I disagree. I practically had to drag you out of bed–"

"No, no – we're married!" Nick cried out with joy.

Again, Judy found herself gesturing in confusion, but also laughing now.

"What?" she asked, pretending to be astounded. "Us – married? _No_! Really? No way!"

"Oh, shut up!" Nick chortled, now joining in the laughter.

"No, wait, I'm serious!" Judy giggled hysterically, making Nick laugh harder. "Married? That's _crazy_!"

Here, Judy and Nick nearly collapsed in laughter. The two stood at the end of their driveway, the day warm and sunny, enjoying one another's contagious giggles, clutching at their sides as they did so. Nick, trying to defend himself, and Judy, finding the whole situation absolutely hysterical.

After a few perfectly infectious moments of joy, the two managed to pull themselves together with happy sighs. Their eyes then met, Judy still smiling with delight and Nick now smirking at the smiling rabbit. After a brief blissful moment of appreciation for one another, Nick smiled, his eyes filled with intention.

"Judy," he stated softly yet seriously, making Judy blink in slight surprise, her smile faltering for just a moment. "I remember… you're pregnant."

"Nick," Judy sighed, her voice full of affection.

"You're pregnant!" Nick shouted with a laugh as he swept Judy off her feet and spun her in a circle.

"We're having more kids!" he yelled out to the quiet neighborhood as he spun her.

"Nick, you're going to make the neighbors absolutely hate us!" Judy laughed.

"Good," the fox grinned before pulling the bunny in close and kissed her fully on the mouth.

Judy, absolutely dazed from Nick's sudden movements, happily melted into the kiss, closing her eyes and kissing him back with an equal level of passion.

When the two broke apart, Nick immediately began kissing Judy all over her face and down her neck.

"I – love – you – so – much – you – clever – bunny," Nick said between kisses, making Judy laugh again.

"I love you too, Nick."

With a content sigh, Nick pulled back and looked into Judy's eyes once again.

"Let's go have a great honeymoon, Carrots."


	2. Chapter 2

The Canal District, a small watery district, was home to dolphins, manatees, seals, and the like, as well as home to the Beach of Zootopia and the Zootopia Space Station. Near the Meadowlands, and though not far from the Rainforest District, a two-hour flight was still needed to reach the couple's honeymoon destination. The couple, of course, could have driven the five hours to reach the same destination, much like they had done in the past when visiting the Hopps Family in Bunnyburrow, but the two felt it would be best to leave their large SUV in the care of Mrs. Wilde, who would be needing the extra car space while watching Nick and Judy's four toddlers.

The couple left their home around seven o'clock. They then drove to the Zootopia International Airport, the main hub for ZTP Airlines, Zootopian Airlines, and Buffalo Air. Once there, they met Mrs. Wilde and the kids (who had taken a cab) in one of the many parking lots at the airport.

"You be safe, Judy, and you keep an eye on Nicholas for me."

"She doesn't need to keep an eye on me, mom. I can–"

"Don't worry, Mrs. Wilde, I'll keep an eye on him," Judy smiled politely as she bounced a content Alan in her arms.

Judy's comment earned her a harsh glare from Nick, but not for long, as Violet began tugging on the fox's pants, trying to catch his attention so that her father could fix the white bow tied elegantly around her periwinkle blue dress. Nick, a complete push-over for his only daughter, dropped to one knee and complied immediately.

"You keep your brothers in line, yeah?" he stated quietly so only the little bunny would hear as he adjusted her bow.

"Yes, Daddy," Violet replied with a grin, which promptly earned her a kiss on the forehead.

After a few more cuddles, final good-byes, and _final_ final good-byes since Judy could not stop hugging the kids, the rabbit and the fox entered the airport.

Once inside the extravagant building, the two checked in and sent their bags through security – and after an incident involving Judy nearly having to pull Nick out of a fight with a lion TSA Agent over Nick refusing to put his phone down – the couple was finally seated in their designated seats on their designated flight. The flight departed promptly at nine o'clock, and for the next two hours, the couple chatted and laughed – well, that is, chatted and laughed when Nick wasn't sleeping off his still apparent hangover.

At about 11:40, the couple was seated in a cab with their luggage, on their way to their vacation home. Her window down, Judy gawked at the Canal District the entire car ride. Never having been to this district before, the bunny felt the nostalgia of when she had travelled to Zootopia for the very first time many years ago. Nick, who had grown up in Zootopia and consequently had been across just about every inch of the districts, smirked at the excited bunny as she pointed out the buildings, restaurants, and signs to the beach and the space station.

The Canal District was hot and humid this time of the summer, and the streets were crowded with animals out and about, visiting shops and grabbing a bite to eat during the lunch rush. Judy was intent on joining the crowd as soon as they were unpacked.

A little past noon, the couple's cab pulled into the driveway of their small vacation home on Kapok Street. The little blue beach house at 1300 Kapok Street was just on the edge of the canal that surrounded the district, offering a perfect location that wasn't too far from the beach nor the heart of the district. The home consisted of a master bedroom with a shared bathroom, an open kitchen-living space plan, and a laundry room that led into a garage. The floors were tiled white, the walls were painted a deep tan color, and the furniture was made up of sycamore wood.

Judy and Nick unpacked their things, Judy still exclaiming her excitement as they did so. The couple then changed clothes; Nick exchanged his khaki pants with khaki shorts, and kept on his green button-up Hawaiian shirt, though he removed his tie, while Judy changed into white shorts and a light purple shirt that fit her loosely.

The two entered the Badger Bistro around 1:30, and requested a private table near the back of the restaurant. The couple sat and ate, expanding their palettes as they tried out a multitude of dishes that were specialties of the Canal District culture. Meals completed, the couple ordered two cups of coffee – decaf for Judy – and chatted for hours, enjoying one another's company as the busy restaurant buzzed with activity around them.

"This is so nice," Judy sighed. "When was the last time we actually sat down for a date – just the two of us?"

"A _long_ time ago," Nick chuckled. "I blame the kids. I told you we should have gotten rid of them years ago."

"Nick!" Judy laughed.

"Hey, don't give me that ' _Nick_!' You know I'm right!"

"Well, you better change that attitude because we've got more on the way."

"Don't remind me," Nick smirked with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, please," Judy scoffed at the fox. "You know you're excited."

"Am I? Got any proof of that, Officer Hopps?"

"How about your reaction this morning?"

"I don't recall."

"Oh, shut up!" Judy laughed. "You can't tell me you aren't excited after literally sweeping me off of my feet this morning!"

"Alright, alright," Nick grinned. "You got me, Fluff; I'm excited."

"You like being a dad," Judy smirked.

"I like being a dad," Nick agreed with a small smile, avoiding the bunny's glance. "You like being a mom."

"I really do, I like being a mom," Judy grinned, her thoughts clearly on her children.

Nick watched her expression carefully, smiling a little at his wife's love for their toddlers.

"It's hard to believe they'll be four years old here in just a few weeks," Judy sighed after a few moments of contemplation. "The time with them is just flying by. Next thing we know, they'll be married with kids of their own."

"Whoa, whoa," Nick laughed. "They're _three_ , Carrots. We've got time."

"You just don't want to talk about them growing up because that includes you walking Violet down the aisle at her wedding."

At this, Nick snorted.

"Yeah, good luck to any guy who gets near my little girl," Nick remarked bitterly, taking another swig of his coffee.

Judy tried to suppress her giggles when the fox shot her a somewhat dirty look.

"Aw, your 'little girl,' huh?" Judy chastised.

"You laugh now, but you know you'll be crying at _all_ of the weddings," Nick shot back with smirk before taking a sip from his cup.

"Of course, I'll be crying; they're my babies!" Judy exclaimed.

The two then broke into laughter for a few moments before Judy continued the conversation once more.

"Watch us end up with three girls and one boy this time," she grinned evilly.

"Oh, no, no," Nick laughed with a wave of his paws and a shake of his head. "Girls are fine, but four more kids? No, thank you."

"It might happen."

"Carrots, stop it."

"We could even have _more_ than four."

"Carrots!" Nick laughed harder. "I mean it, knock it off."

"Okay, I'll stop," Judy giggled. "Let's talk about what we're going to do tomorrow."

"Easy. The beach."

"You mean the space station."

"You mispronounced 'the beach,' but it's okay, I knew what you meant."

"Nick," Judy smiled. "We're going to the space station."

"Why are you so against me seeing you in a bikini?"

"You are definitely not seeing me in a bikini on this trip."

"You're going to be hot at the beach tomorrow then."

Once again, a smirk and a sip of coffee.

"You better wipe that smug look off of your face, because we aren't going to the beach tomorrow," Judy argued.

"You just wearing your bikini around the house then?"

"We are going to the space station tomorrow, Nick. We can go to the beach the day after."

"That's no fun," Nick stated with a dramatic pout. "I don't get to see you in a bikini."

"You'll still get to see me in a bikini."

"You're wearing your bikini to the space station? I wouldn't recommend it," Nick shrugged, making Judy laugh again.

"So, you admit we're going to the space station tomorrow!"

"So, you admit that I will get to see you in a bikini on this trip."

Another smirk. Another sip of coffee.

Judy glared hard at the fox.

"Touché."


	3. Chapter 3

The first two days of the honeymooning couple's trip were nothing short of busy. With Judy wanting an educational experience at the Zootopia Space Station, and Nick wanting to surf the waves at the Beach of Zootopia, their schedules were immediately booked. The first day was spent at the space station, where an impassive Nick followed a bouncing Judy on a personalized tour they had paid extra for.

"It gives it a personal touch," Judy had said with a smirk as she handed over a considerable amount of money to the clerk at the tour ticket booth.

"I love how you wanted to go to the space station, and I wanted to go to the beach, so we compromised and now we're at the space station," Nick remarked with thick sarcasm.

Judy had only responded with a roll of her eyes.

As their lion tour guide led them through floor after floor of the space station, Nick found that watching Judy's reaction to the information she was receiving was far more entertaining than the tour itself. You would have thought her dream would have been to pursue a career as an astronaut rather than a police officer; her ears remained attentive during the entirety of the two-hour tour, and her nose wiggled excitedly any time the tour guide pointed out a special piece of equipment used in the space station's latest project. Occasionally, she would even turn around and fix Nick with a massive smile, her paws clenched in fists out of pure excitement. At the end of the tour, Judy really could not stop talking, her mouth articulating her thoughts as she processed all of the new information at a rapid pace, her joy making her fluffball of a tail twitch with pure happiness. She was literally jumping up and down as she talked, even so to the point that Nick had to catch her a few times before she ran into other animals on the street as they walked around the Canal District. That night, she slept in a navy blue t-shirt with the Zootopia Space Station's logo plastered across the front of it – a souvenir she _had_ to get, of course.

On the second day, the fox and the rabbit found themselves at the beach, soaking up the sun and taking in the breathtaking view of the ocean. Nick insisted they attempt a surfing lesson with the penguin surfers on the beach, surfing being an activity neither one of the two had ever taken part in.

"It'll be a learning experience – you know you love those," Nick had said with a grin as he watched a penguin strap a surfboard leash to Judy's right foot.

However, Nick soon found that he regretted this learning experience as Judy easily outdid him in surfing. While Nick regularly tumbled off his board into the crashing waves, Judy manipulated her board through the water with ease.

"You know, the beach isn't as cool as I thought," Nick had breathlessly called to Judy after pulling himself back up onto his board for the umpteenth time.

At this, Judy had laughed and merely shrugged as she glided past him.

"Call it payback for you insisting I wear a bikini!" she yelled back.

After surfing, the two played several games of sand volleyball on the beach, got frozen lemonade from a nearby stand, and walked along the shoreline as they held paws, letting the waves gently caress their feet as the water washed ashore.

On the third day, the two took a more relaxing approach, choosing to stay in their beach house and have a video game tournament against one another. When the tournament ended in a bitter tie, the couple decided to go out and see a late movie at the theatre in the Canal District. It was well past midnight when the two began walking up the driveway to the house.

"All I'm saying is that it was a cheesy movie."

"Carrots! How dare you? That movie was _beautiful_!"

"Is that why you were crying when they confessed that they loved each other?" Judy laughed as she dug in her pockets for her keys.

"I wasn't crying, I just have bad allergies."

"Funny how I'm just now learning of these allergies after eight years with you."

"Are you telling me you don't have allergies every eight years? I thought that was a common thing."

"Nick!" Judy laughed with a shake of her head before her eyes rested on the white front door of their beach house. "Nick…"

At the change in her tone, Nick followed Judy's glance to the door, which was slightly ajar and lightly swinging in the night breeze.

"I locked the door when we left," Judy whispered.

Without a moment's hesitation, Nick pulled his police-issued tranquilizer gun from his belt. At the sight of it, Judy blanched.

"You took that to the movies?" she hissed. "We agreed to leave our guns in our bags! We're on vacation!"

"You can lecture me later," Nick murmured as he aimed at the door. "Get behind me. Come on."

Judy didn't argue further, and instead fell instep behind Nick as he carefully edged toward the open door. With a small swift kick to the bottom of the door, Nick entered the quiet house, his eyes sweeping the dark kitchen-living space. Judy let out a small gasp as her eyes settled on the scene, and Nick felt her paws clench his shirt. The sycamore furniture was a strew, turned over, or absolutely busted, and the cabinets had been emptied out onto the tiled floor. Making their way further into the house, the couple found that the other rooms were in similar disarray, but there was no one in the home. Nick holstered his gun and began flicking on lights.

"Who would do this?" Judy breathed as she picked up a thrown chair.

"Probably some animal looking for some cash."

"But this is a vacation rental, so how would they know anyone was even here?"

"Got lucky, I guess," Nick stated bitterly as he bent down and started picking up his clothes that had been strewn about the master bedroom.

"Or someone knows we're here."

Nick stopped and glanced up at Judy. She was standing in the doorway, her arms drawn tightly around herself.

"Carrots, this is just some random coincidence."

"Is anything ever a 'random coincidence' for us?"

"You really think someone's targeting us?"

"You don't?" Judy looked near tears, as she seemed to hold herself a little tighter.

"Like who, Carrots?"

"Her."

Judy's face flushed a light pink and she immediately looked at the floor, tears sharply stinging her eyes now. Nick's eyes widened slightly, his heart aching at the sight of the bunny's emotional response.

"Valerie," she said in a hushed voice as if the name were cursed.

Almost seven months prior, Valerie, a manipulative vixen and an ex-girlfriend of Nick's, had kidnapped and tortured Judy for nearly a month. Now in prison, the vixen no longer posed a threat, but her obsession with harming Judy had left behind more than just physical scars.

"Oh, Judy," Nick sighed as he stood and took the bunny into a firm hug that pressed her against his chest. "I know you're scared, but this is nothing more than a coincidence. This isn't her. She can't hurt you anymore, you know that. She's in prison and has no idea that we're even here."

"I know," Judy replied, biting back a small sob.

"Let's see if anything's missing," Nick said softly as he ran a paw over the back of her head. "Then we'll call the police, okay?"

With that, Nick kissed Judy on the cheek and walked into the next room, leaving Judy in the doorway. The rabbit pulled herself together, wiped away her tears, and then stood in thought for several moments. She listened to the distant sound of the ocean waves crashing on the nearby shore. Brief images of Valerie flashed through her mind, and a cold sensation flooded Judy's veins. Was this all just a coincidence that could be explained rationally, or was her gut feeling correct? As much as she wanted to believe in coincidences, Judy silently reminded herself that her gut feeling always won out.


	4. Chapter 4

Though nothing had been taken, Nick and Judy filed a report with the local police department, giving the department their credentials as they did so. After filing the report, they spent a good majority of the night picking up the home and notifying the right animals of the damage done to the beach house so that they wouldn't be charged for the damages. Thankfully, everyone they spoke with was incredibly kind, and apologized for the negative experience that had taken up part of their honeymoon. The couple slept in the following morning, not waking until nearly noon.

"Nice hair," Judy giggled when she caught a glimpse of the ruffled hair on Nick's head that was sticking straight up, defying gravity.

Nick shot her a nasty look and attempted to smooth it, only for it to bounce back to its upright position, making both Nick and Judy laugh.

"I guess I slept harder than I thought," Nick chuckled, still trying to smooth his hair.

"It was a long night," Judy shrugged as she stifled a yawn.

Nick's reply was interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing from its place on the nightstand. Glancing over sleepily, he read the name on the screen, and then immediately scrambled to answer the phone.

"Hi, Mom," he answered casually, trying to mask the fact that he had just woken up. "No, no, everything's great. How are the kids?"

Judy giggled at the expression the fox gave her, as if speaking to his mother were a weekly chore.

"Be nice," Judy mouthed quietly at him, only to receive a scowl in return.

"Well, that's good. They're being good, I hope… Okay, good. You'll let us know if you need anything, right?... Okay… The trip? Uhhh…" Nick looked at Judy for an answer, to which the bunny replied with an overexaggerated nod.

"Good! It's good. We had a bit of a problem last night, but it's all fine now… No, no, someone just broke into the house–" Nick cut himself short at Judy's gestures to stop talking. "I mean–No! Mom, everything is fine! We don't need to come home, we're fine."

Judy stifled her laughter as she watched Nick try to redirect the conversation to keep his overprotective mother from panicking. Knowing that fox, Mrs. Wilde would surely take the next flight to the Canal District if she was worried enough.

"Yes, I'm sure. We are absolutely fine, Mom," Nick laughed as he watched Judy stand and begin making her way to the bathroom to start her morning routine. "You know, Mom, Judy and I actually have something to tell you."

Judy stopped abruptly, only a few feet away from the bathroom. She looked at Nick confused, and slightly tilted her head to the side to demonstrate her lack of knowledge.

"Yeah, turns out Judy's preg–" Nick faltered when he saw Judy shaking her head vigorously.

" _Not yet_!" she whispered frantically. " _Not yet_!"

"Preg–uh, promotion! Judy got a promotion at work!" Nick lied quickly. "We just found out! Yeah, I'll be sure to tell her you said that… Uh-huh, okay, I gotta go, love you!"

With that, he hung up the phone and looked at Judy.

"Mom said 'congratulations' on the promotion."

"Nick! You almost told her I'm pregnant! We said we wouldn't tell anyone until after we got back from the honeymoon!" Judy laughed.

"I know, I forgot!"

"Now your mother thinks I've been promoted. What are we supposed to tell her when she starts asking questions?"

"I don't know; I panicked!" Nick laughed as he collapsed back onto the bed.

With a content sigh and a shake of her head, Judy went into the bathroom and went through her morning routine. The two then spent the afternoon shopping in the Canal District, as Judy wanted to get a few more outfits for the kids. While they were out, Nick purchased a new Hawaiian button-up shirt that was light blue with pineapples on it.

"What? It's awesome," he had said in defense to Judy's raised eyebrows.

He, of course, wore it the rest of the day.

After dropping off their purchases at the beach house, the two headed to the Salty Iguana, a famous Canal District restaurant they had dinner reservations at that evening. Once they had been seated and ordered their dishes, the two talked over drinks – wine for Nick, and iced tea for Judy, much to her displeasure.

"Way to get me pregnant before the honeymoon, Nick. Now I can't even enjoy the many drinks they have to offer."

"I think you'll live," Nick smirked.

Judy shook her head and smiled.

"So, you've been to the Canal District before?"

"A couple of times when I was a kid. My dad had some business out here at times and occasionally brought me along."

"Tell me about your dad."

"Well," Nick paused and thought for a few moments. "He was kind of quiet, just kept to himself. He worked all over the place, but finding work as a fox used to be difficult, so we didn't have a lot of money. We moved around a lot, and Dad had all of these big dreams, but never really got the chance to make them happen. I honestly didn't know him very well."

"He died when you were young, right?"

"Yeah, and then it was just Mom and I. She didn't really like the con artist life I was living," Nick chuckled softly.

"No, really?" Judy asked sarcastically with a grin.

"Okay, Fluff, now I have a question for you."

"Okay, shoot."

"Do you ever think about doing something other than cop work?"

Judy faltered at the question, expecting anything but the question presented.

"No, why?"

"Well, I've been thinking lately…" Nick began, but didn't finish.

"You don't think I should be an officer anymore?" Judy asked, her voice expressing that she was a little hurt by the idea.

"No, that's not it," Nick immediately said. "It's just that you've been through a lot, and it might be safer if you–"

"No," Judy shook her head firmly. "I love my job. It gets dangerous, yes, but I knew that going in. I'm not quitting."

"It's just that with this second pregnancy, I worry about your health."

"Nick, I'm in perfect health," Judy laughed dryly.

"Well, you aren't really young anymore."

"Excuse me?" Judy scoffed incredulously. "I'm only thirty-three! You're forty-one! Maybe you should think about _your_ health."

At this, Nick laughed and put his paws up in defeat.

"Okay, okay, I'll give you that one. I just want you to be safe."

"Nick," Judy smiled at him warmly. "Everything is going to be fine. Nothing is going to happen to me or the kids. You worry too much."

Their food arrived just as Judy finished her statement, and the two changed the subject over the course of dinner. After they finished their meal and paid the bill, the couple walked back to the beach house. The evening was warm, and the setting sun cast a golden pink glow over the area.

The two reminisced as they walked, laughing at each other's stories.

"I was not _that_ hyper!"

"Carrots, that coffee made you feral," Nick laughed heartily. "I had to sit on you just to get you to calm down! You will never touch caffeine again if I can help it."

Judy laughed, turning her head to the side as she did so. Through her peripheral vision, she caught a glimpse of a slim figure walking behind them just a few yards back. The familiarity of the figure made Judy stop suddenly. Nick walked on for a few more feet, still laughing, before he realized Judy had stopped.

"Carrots?" he asked as he turned.

Judy was staring at the space where she had been sure the figure had been, but there was no one there now. Red fur, sharp features – surely, she hadn't seen her. No, she couldn't have… could she?

"Did you see that?" she asked Nick over her shoulder.

"See what?"

"There was someone following us," Judy murmured as she gestured to the empty sidewalk behind them.

Nick shrugged.

"I didn't see anyone."

A chill ran down Judy's spine, making her shiver despite the warm air of the night.

"Carrots, are you coming?"

"Yeah, sorry, I'm coming," Judy replied as she turned back toward Nick.

She continued to look over her shoulder the rest of the way to the beach house, and for the rest of the night, she couldn't stop thinking about who she was sure she had seen.


	5. Chapter 5

"Nick, I'm starting to think you don't know how to make a sandwich."

"I'm just putting the cheese on. How could I be doing that wrong?"

"You're using shredded cheese. You know we have sliced cheese, right?"

"Is there a difference?"

Judy rolled her eyes at the fox as she opened the refrigerator and retrieved the sliced cheese. Now on the fifth day of their vacation, the two were making sandwiches for lunch before spending another hot afternoon at the beach. The windows of the house were open, letting in a warm breeze and the distant noise from the beach patrons already enjoying the ocean. Nick's cellphone sat on one of the kitchen counters (now plugged into the stereo system that had been provided along with the beach house), playing through Nick's various playlists. On the couch sat a packed beach bag with towels and sunscreen, as well as the couple's bathing suits.

"Think you're some kind of sandwich expert," Nick mumbled to himself.

"What was that?"

"I was just saying how much I love you."

"Mm-hmm, sure," Judy laughed. "You know you're going to have to learn to make sandwiches properly before the kids start school, so you can help me with their lunches."

"I still have a couple of years before then," Nick said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "And even then, I'll probably just pay for the lunches they'll give them at school."

Just then, the couple both jumped at the sound of an ear-piercing scream that carried through the windows from the beach.

" _HELP_! _Someone please help_!"

Judy dropped the knife she had been using to cut her sandwich and was at the glass sliding back door in a flash, already wrenching it open as she called to Nick. "Tranq gun?"

"Got it!" Nick called as he pulled it from his belt and followed Judy out the back door.

The two quickly ran a few yards down the slope of their beach house's back lawn and onto the hot sand of the beach. There was already a small crowd beginning to form part way down the beach, where the screams were coming from.

As the couple came closer, they found it was a young female rabbit screaming. She looked absolutely frantic as she tried to tell the animals gathering around her what was wrong. She was babbling, however, and no one could really make sense of what she was saying.

"Excuse us, we're officers," Nick announced as Judy pushed through the crowd and took ahold of the disheveled rabbit.

"Ma'am, take a deep breath and tell me what's wrong."

"M-my… my b-baby!" the rabbit sobbed. "One o-of my babies is m-missing! S-she's missing!"

Judy shot a glance at Nick to ensure he heard what the rabbit had said, and then turned back to the young mother.

"When and where did you see her last?"

Almost as if on cue, just before the mother could reply, a small voice was just barely audible over the crashing waves of the ocean.

"Look!" a large male elephant in the crowd suddenly called in a husky voice, pointing. "There! In the water!"

The crowd all turned in the direction the elephant had pointed in, and sure enough, there was a small figure in the water. The figure was shrieking for help, struggling to stay above the water, fighting against the current that only kept forcing her away from the shore. The mother rabbit gasped. Judy's heart skipped a beat at the sight of the drowning bunny. The beach had no lifeguards, and it was up to one of them to save the baby. Nick had apparently already surmised this.

"Here," Nick yelled as he forced his wallet and his tranquilizer gun into Judy's paws before he sprinted toward the ocean, diving in and swimming as fast as possible toward the tiny bunny. The crowd watched in tense silence as Nick carefully, yet firmly, snatched the baby bunny up by the scruff of her neck in his teeth and began ferociously swimming back to shore.

"Someone call 911," Judy ordered the crowd as she ran toward the water, shoving Nick's wallet into her back pocket and his tranquilizer gun into the band of her jeans as she ran.

She met Nick in the waves as his feet touched the sandy bottom and she took the baby in her arms.

"She's not breathing," Nick gasped as he tried to catch his breath.

Judy quickly crouched down and carefully positioned the baby face-up on her right forearm. Cradling the back of her head with her right paw, Judy placed her left forearm on her front and used her paw to hold the baby's jaw. Nick stood behind her, saltwater dripping from his drenched clothes, and watched with bated breath. The waves crashed against the sand around them. Without any hesitation, Judy then flipped the baby so that she was facedown and delivered five firm and distinct blows to the bunny's back between the shoulder blades. Immediately after delivering the fifth blow, the baby sputtered and coughed, forcing the water from her airway.

The young mother rabbit sobbed in relief, as she dropped to her knees in the wet sand and took the baby in her arms. The crowd around them began cheering and applauding as the mother drew Judy into her grasp.

"Thank you!" she gasped as she hugged Judy tightly. "Thank you so much!"

Moments later, emergency services arrived and took care of the mother and her baby. From the snippets Judy and Nick caught from conversations they partially overheard, they learned that the mother lived just at the edge of the beach, and that she had discovered the back door was open and one of her children missing. The responding officers thanked a sopping wet Nick and Judy for their help, and the couple began walking back toward their beach house as the rest of the crowd dispersed, the situation now resolved.

"Good swimming," Judy laughed with a sigh as she wrapped an arm around Nick's waist.

Nick laughed and placed an arm over Judy's shoulders.

"All in a days' work, Officer Hopps – er, I guess it's Officer Wilde now."

"Let's leave it as Officer Hopps to avoid confusion," Judy smiled. "I can still be Mrs. Wilde."

"Sounds good to me," Nick replied as he ran a paw through his drenched hair. "How did you know to do that thing to get the kid to breathe?"

"You mean CPR for babies? It was in all of those baby books your mother gave us when I was pregnant the first time."

"Ah, right."

"You never read those baby books, did you?"

"Look, I can explain–"

"I can't believe I leave my children with you," Judy joked with a shake of her head.

"You know, I saw that bunny in the water, Carrots, and all I could think of was Violet."

"Aw, Nick," Judy smiled sweetly. "You saved that baby."

" _We_ saved that baby," Nick corrected her with a grin. "And all I'm gonna say is I'm glad we don't live near a beach; that would just be one more thing to worry about."

The couple laughed as they came near the back door, then paused, looking at the water dripping off of them.

"We're going to make a mess," Judy groaned.

"We could always just take our clothes off and go in naked," Nick smirked.

"That's not happening."

"Here, let me help you," Nick laughed as he playfully tugged at Judy's shirt.

The rabbit slapped his paw away and trudged into the house, leaving wet footprints on the white tiles behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

The morning of the sixth day marked the last day of the honeymoon trip for the couple. Judy awoke to the familiar homey smell of pancakes and syrup that drifted into the master bedroom from the kitchen. She rolled over and found the other half of the plush bed empty. Still in her pink sweatpants and navy Zootopia Space Station t-shirt, Judy slid from the bed and shuffled sleepily into the kitchen-living space.

"Good morning, Fluff!" Nick greeted her with a beaming smile.

He was standing over the stovetop, a plate full of pancakes in one paw, a spatula in the other. A circle of batter was sizzling in a pan on the stove.

"Morning," Judy replied groggily as she slumped into a chair at the nearby dining table.

Nick chuckled softly at her.

"I heard you get up at least a dozen times last night," he commented. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah, just some bad dreams," Judy replied nonchalantly, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

Nick glanced at her from the corner of his eyes for just a moment, choosing instead to focus on the coffee he had started to pour. "Just some bad dreams" was Judy's polite way of saying "nightmares about Valerie," something Nick had come to learn over the last few months. He never pushed on the subject, but he knew they affected her more than she let on. The bunny carried burdens that, at times, she truly couldn't handle, but would never admit defeat to.

"There was also this really annoying ticking noise," Judy said a few moments later. "Did you hear it last night?"

"Ticking noise? No, I didn't."

Judy shook her head, assuming it must have been a noise caused by the air conditioning unit or something outside during the night.

"Here," Nick said as he placed a small grey mug full of coffee in front of Judy.

"I thought you said I couldn't have caffeine?" Judy smirked.

"Just this once, Carrots," Nick replied as he returned to the stovetop. "You need it."

Judy gratefully took a sip, watching Nick as he put one last pancake on one of two plates, then turned off the burners and placed the utensils he had used in the sink. He picked up the two plates and walked back to the table.

"Carrot pancakes for the wife and blueberry pancakes for the husband," Nick declared as he placed the two plates accordingly.

Judy perked up at the sight of the pancakes in front of her.

"Thank you," she said with a small smile.

"What's on the agenda for today?" Nick asked as he passed Judy the syrup.

"I was thinking just a relaxing day in. Pack at our own place. Maybe go out for lunch?"

"Sounds like a plan in action," Nick agreed with a nod.

"Our flight leaves first thing in the morning."

"I sure do love morning flights," Nick grumbled, making Judy laugh and nearly snort her coffee she was trying to drink.

The two chatted lightly over their breakfast, and once they had finished, cleaned the kitchen before beginning their morning routine to get ready for the day. The couple then lounged around for the rest of the morning, flipping through channels on the TV in the master bedroom as they slowly packed their bags. At one point, they paused their packing to watch a brief report on the news channel that was broadcasting that the police had found a body in one of the rivers in the Canal District. There wasn't much information, as the corpse had just been discovered that morning, and since it wasn't their jurisdiction, Nick and Judy continued with their packing.

"Hey, Carrots?"

"Hmm?" Judy answered absentmindedly as she sat on the bed folding her shirts.

"Have you seen my phone?"

Judy stopped and looked up with a quizzical look.

"You don't know where it is?"

"No," Nick huffed as he dropped to the floor to look for the device underneath the bed.

"Well, when did you have it last?"

Nick pulled himself from underneath the bed and stood, running a paw over his ears as he thought. "Uhh… I don't know," he answered quietly after a few moments.

"Since when do you not have your phone on you at all times?" Judy gaped at the fox. "You're practically obsessed with that thing!"

"I know, I know," Nick said with a shake of his head. "I think I had it last when we were making lunch yesterday. It was plugged into the stereo on the counter."

"Did you take it with you when we ran down to the beach?"

"No, we were in a hurry and I didn't even think about it."

Judy froze, dropping the shirt she had been folding and thinking quickly.

"The music wasn't playing when we got back," she muttered to herself.

"What?" Nick asked as he looked at her.

"The music wasn't playing when we got back," Judy repeated, this time louder.

"I don't understand."

"When we got back from the beach, the music wasn't playing, which means your phone had been disconnected," Judy said frantically, her paws gesturing wildly. "Someone took it!"

"Carrots, I don't think anyone–"

"Someone waited until we left the house, and then they took your phone."

"Carrots–"

"I bet my phone is gone too," Judy exclaimed as she jumped from the bed and began digging through her possessions.

After a few moments, she looked up at Nick.

"It isn't here."

"Carrots, I think you might have had too much coffee–"

"It's Valerie."

Judy's words cut through the lighthearted atmosphere like a knife. The room fell deadly silent as the fox and the rabbit stared at one another; Judy's eyes filled with determination, but Nick's eyes filled with worry.

"Carrots," Nick said with a gentle sigh. "Valerie is–"

"In prison, I know!" Judy cut him off. "But I know this is her, Nick! I _know_! Breaking into the house the other night, and the figure on the street, and now the phones! It's her!"

"What figure on the street?"

"She was following us when we were walking back after dinner at the Salty Iguana; I saw her!"

"You saw her?" Nick asked incredulously.

"Well," Judy faltered. "No, not exactly, but there was someone following us and I'm sure it was her!"

"We would know if she had escaped; the Chief would have called."

"We don't know he hasn't called! Our phones have been missing since yesterday afternoon!"

"Carrots–"

"No, _don_ ' _t_!" Judy yelled pleadingly. "Don't say 'Carrots' like that – like I'm losing my mind! Everybody acts like I'm completely broken after what happened with Valerie, and they look at me as if they're expecting me to snap any minute! I am not going crazy and seeing things, Nick, I know this is her, so could you please just _listen_ to me?"

Judy inhaled deeply, trying to keep herself from becoming too hysterical. After all, she wasn't angry, and she certainly wasn't angry at Nick; she just needed someone to back her up. She felt her paws shaking at her sides as she watched Nick's expression shift.

"Okay, I'm listening," he said with a nod as he raised his paws up in an act of surrender. "I don't think you're crazy and I don't think you're seeing things."

Though Judy could tell he was being sincere, she still wasn't fully convinced that Nick believed her on the idea of Valerie being involved. For a sliver of a moment, Judy doubted herself. She had to admit that it was a farfetched idea – Valerie escaping a maximum-security prison and tracking them all the way to the Canal District where she ransacked their beach house, followed them around, and stole their phones. Were there other things she had done? What did she want? What was the end game? Where was Culpeo?

"I'm going to the police station," Judy said firmly, making up her mind that her claims were justified. "I'm going to report our stolen phones and I'm calling Chief Bogo to tell him everything."

"Okay, I'll go with you," Nick said, picking up his tranquilizer gun from the nightstand and holstering it in the band of his khaki shorts.

Judy followed Nick to the front door, talking all the way.

"I don't understand why she hasn't done more."

"You want her to do more?" Nick scoffed.

"It's just that everything she's done on this trip has been harmless."

"Yeah, let's get ahold of the Chief and keep it that way," Nick muttered as he reached for the doorknob of the front door.

"I mean, really," Judy continued. "Since when do we get out of something like this completely unscathed?"

As the front door creaked open, Judy caught a glimpse of the sunlight streaming in, brightening Nick's red fur as he stood there nodding his agreement to the bunny's rhetorical question. Neither one was braced for the explosion that swallowed the whole front of the beach house, sending the world into darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

For a moment, Judy laid there completely stunned, the breath gone from her lungs. Her entire body suddenly ached, with her ribs sore and her head throbbing as if someone had just bashed her over the head with a baseball bat. Her ears were ringing; her jaw hurt; her face and knees were cut. The bunny blinked hard, trying to clear her head and make sense of the situation.

It was like a canon had gone off. A deafening bang had filled the air, a blast shook the earth, and the house seemed to crumble around the couple in an instant. One moment, Judy had been clinging on to Nick near the front door, then there was a black flash, and a roar of hot wind that slammed the tiny bunny across the room. Now, she was lying on the floor – or at least, what remained of it. With some difficulty, Judy pulled herself into a sitting position and let her eyes slowly scan the scene.

The room around her was unrecognizable.

The light around her was wrong, the air filled with a chemical fog that burned her nose and throat. A thick blanket of white dust clung to the air, coating everything in the immediate area, and the ground was littered with what she was sure were chunks of wood and plaster. Part of the ceiling had caved in, obliterating the room below it.

Judy stood, swaying on the spot as she tried to make sense of her location. The world around her seemed to be spinning at a dizzying speed.

"Nick?" Judy's voice came out as a rasp, her voice weak and ragged.

Judy forced her burning throat to swallow and took a single numb step forward. About a dozen feet in front of her, she thought that she could just make out the outline of the front door, now half gone and hanging off its hinges. The couple had just been standing in front of that door, talking, and now Judy couldn't make sense of her surroundings and Nick was nowhere in sight.

"Nick?"

Feeling as if she were dragging herself through a snowbank, Judy began to trudge forward through the surrounding debris. She hadn't gone more than a few feet when she saw movement on the ground, making her stop.

"Nick? Is that you?"

Judy waded a few steps closer, and Nick came into view. He was flat on his back, his body whitened with dust, nearly invisible in the wreckage. His hair was blown awkwardly upward, and the side of his left arm was striped with ugly burns. Above his right ear, there was a sticky black blotch of blood that stood out in contrast to the white.

"Nick," Judy coughed as she collapsed near the figure.

She quickly pulled the fox into her lap, cradling his head in her arms as she did so. Judy couldn't tell where the blood on Nick's head was coming from, but the burns on his arm seemed to be the worst of his condition. The rabbit touched his face tenderly, moving his right ear carefully to examine the wound. Nick whimpered quietly at her touch.

"Nick, hey, I'm right here," Judy breathed, pulling her paw back from his face. "I got you, okay? I got you."

Her paws shaking slightly, Judy ripped the sleeve of her shirt, tearing a piece of fabric away. Balling up the fabric, she placed it on Nick's head where she believed the gash to be. Applying pressure to the actively bleeding wound, Judy readjusted Nick in her lap, still talking to him as she did so. She was now looking around at the stark room again, trying to determine where the blast had come from. Nick wiggled a little under her grasp.

"Shhh, just lay back," Judy cooed. "Just relax. You're going to be alright, Nick. I'm right here."

"Tell me, did the police training academy prepare you for _this_ , Judy?"

The silky voice cut through the silent chaos like a knife, sending sharp shivers right up Judy's spine, paralyzing her momentarily. Judy felt her paws go stiff, slacking in pressure on Nick's wound. The deafening sound of her own heart beating filled her ears, her breathing turned ragged. It had been months since she last heard that voice.

Judy looked up just in time to see the deadly vixen saunter out of the dusted air and into sight, a small pistol in her right paw and a dangerous smile on her face. She looked much thinner than the last time Judy had seen her, almost gaunt now as her originally full seductive figure had become boney. The dark circles under her eyes betrayed her sleep deprived state.

"You know, it really is rude not to reply when someone addresses you," the fox spat after the only reply she received was an awestruck look.

Judy was unable to speak, still paralyzed at the sight of the fox who had singlehandedly scarred her emotionally and physically more than any other criminal the bunny had faced over the years. Nick once again wiggled in Judy's lap, and the rabbit was startled when she felt one of Nick's paws slip into one of her own. At his unexpected grasp, Judy quickly looked down and found the fox awake.

Their eyes met.

"Hey, Carrots," Nick said in a thick voice.

"Hey, there, sleepyhead," Judy chuckled softly. "You've got a bad cut on your head; try not to mov– _ah_!"

In one swift movement, Valerie snatched Judy out from underneath Nick and threw her back onto the ground, kicking more dust up from the demolished floor and into the air. Judy blinked in surprise, coughing hard as she tried to catch her breath after having the air knocked from her lungs. The room seemed to spin around her.

"I'm sorry, did you think we were done?" Valerie snapped, her pistol aimed right at Judy.

"Sorry," Judy gasped. "But my manners don't really apply to psychopaths."

"I see Nicky isn't the only one with a mouth," Valerie laughed coldly.

"Leave her alone!" Nick shouted from the floor as he struggled to stand.

The blow to his head had left him dizzy and disoriented, and he struggled to focus on bringing himself to his feet.

"Oh, lay down before you give yourself a brain bleed," Valerie huffed as she forced Nick back to the ground with her foot. "You always have to play hero, Nicky, but I'm not interested in you, so do us all a favor and be quiet for once. Maybe if you opened your ears as much as your mouth, you would have known that your nagging wife was right all along."

"I knew this was you," Judy sighed, bringing the vixen's focus back to the bunny. "I've known since you broke in and tore the place apart. You just did it to put me on edge."

"You know me too well, Judy."

"You followed us around the entire trip, didn't you? Listened to all of our conversations. You bugged the house the night you broke in."

"Right again!" Valerie laughed.

"You didn't place the bomb then, though," Judy thought aloud, speaking slowly. "No, you did that when we were at the beach yesterday; helping that rabbit. We left the back door open."

"It was a wonderful opportunity," Valerie mused. "You two can't resist helping someone in danger. Even if it means putting yourself in harm's way."

"Did Culpeo do the work while you played dominatrix again?" Judy asked dryly.

A deadly expression flickered across Valerie's face.

"He's dead," the vixen snapped, flashing her sharp teeth. "I used him to get out of prison, but I didn't have any need for him after that."

"You've added 'murderer' to your resume now?" Judy said with a false expression of interest. "Didn't see that one coming… I'm assuming that was his body they found this morning."

"He's been in that river for a few days," Valerie sneered. "It'll be a while before they identify him."

"Clever," Judy remarked honestly.

"Surprised I'm not as stupid as you thought?" Valerie smirked.

"I wouldn't go that far…What do you want, Valerie?"

"It's simple really," Valerie stated as she flashed a sharp grin, circling the rabbit. "I. Want. To. Kill. You."

Each word dripped with venom, straight from the mouth of a snake. Nick watched the pair helplessly, wishing desperately he could throw himself between the two.

"Well, then," Judy snapped bitterly. "I'm all yours, _Val_."

Valerie's left ear twitched in agitation when she heard the nickname Nick had given her long ago, but a smile spread across her face easily.

"Oh, Judy," the vixen purred in a sickly-sweet voice. "I want to kill you, I _really_ do, but… not just yet. I want you to _suffer_ first."

"Job well done," Judy muttered. "Are you done yet? You've already blown the house down and ruined my honeymoon."

"On the contrary, Sweetheart, I'm just getting started," Valerie sang in a honeyed tone.

Judy opened her mouth to reply, but only a soft gasp escaped her lips as she felt her lower abdomen cramp suddenly, making her wince in discomfort. The wince didn't go unnoticed. Valerie's face faltered with a moment of confusion, and Nick forced himself upward so that he could look at Judy.

"Carrots?"

"I'm fine," Judy said in a strained voice. "I just–"

Judy paused as she felt an uncomfortable warmth in her pants. Her hair stood on end, her heart skipped a beat. She was bleeding, and bleeding badly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, knowing fully well what had just been lost.

Valerie had been watching Judy's face carefully, at first confused, but she now let out a heartless laugh.

"Don't worry, Judy," the fox grinned. "You've still got the other four."


	8. Chapter 8

The Hopps Family was known for multiplying. Like every other rabbit family, the Hopps Family brought hundreds of children, then grandchildren, then great-grandchildren, then great-great-grandchildren into the world. The Hopps Family was also known for keeping its many children safe; despite the hundreds of children in the Hopps Family, none of the rabbits had ever lost a child. Family members passed away, as all animals did eventually – as was the circle of life – but not once did the Hopps Family lose a _child_. Call it luck, call it a miracle – call is whatever you like, but not once did the Hopps Family lose a child to some strange accident or horrible disease… or due to a miscarriage.

Until now, that is.

Judy hadn't needed a doctor to tell her what had happened as she lay on that demolished floor.

For the first time in what was sure to be generations, the Hopps Family had officially lost a child, or children, if you prefer to be precise.

In that moment, she had remained quiet, her entire body numb all at once. She had suddenly felt incredibly small, and the room had suddenly felt incredibly large. Waves of numbness had crashed over her, nearly drowning her.

But no matter how great a loss, or how deep the grief, the world does not stop. The sun continues to rise and set, the moon continues to journey through its phases each month, the grass continues to grow taller each day, the rain continues to fall from above. Though the loss is great, though the grief is deep, though the world _seems_ to truly stop, it does not. This is what Judy told herself as she sat in her hospital bed, hours after the explosion, watching the rain patter gently against a window just a few feet to her left.

This type of weather – a dark, overcast sky with the rain peacefully washing the streets – had always been Judy's favorite. When she was a child, the smell of rain and mud seemed to make Bunnyburrow feel more like home, a feeling that she reflected on each time it rained, no matter where she was. Rainy days had been a comfort to her when she had first moved into the heart of Zootopia, as they provided a sense of familiarity in a strange new place.

Then, a year or so prior, it was on one late afternoon, much like this one, that Judy had discovered Alan seated on the floor in their living room in front of the glass back door, his little eyes watching the rain as it drenched their backyard. Judy had smiled at her son before joining him on the carpeted floor, where the two sat and enjoyed each other's company as well as enjoyed the rain's company. From that day forward, Judy attempted to spend as many rainy days as she could on the floor of their living room in front of the glass back door, the small grey fox seated quietly in her lap. For Judy, rainy days provided a feeling of home, provided a feeling of cozy security, provided a feeling of peaceful love.

Now, as she watched the rain splatter the clear glass of the window, Judy felt nothing; felt no home, felt no coziness, felt no security, felt no peace, and certainly felt no love. The bunny could practically smell the wet grass and hear the sound of tires driving down soaked streets, but she still felt nothing. She merely sat in her bed with her paws crossed in her lap, her heart heavy, thinking about how the world does not stop for the grieving.

Thoughts of Valerie invaded Judy's mind, and she shivered at the memory of the threat Valerie had made just before she had left Nick and Judy to face the trauma of her destructive rampage once again.

"If you think this is bad," Valerie had hissed smugly. "You're really in for a ride."

Here, Judy shook herself from her thoughts and took a moment to rationalize.

Time would not be able to heal this wound or fix this type of loss, but healing is not on a timetable; she had the time she needed to heal the way she needed to heal. She couldn't let this loss paralyze her, though. She _had_ to survive this. She _had_ to refrain from falling to pieces, _had_ to remain whole. She had four beautiful children who needed a whole mother. She had an amazing husband who needed a whole wife.

Judy sighed, feeling slight comfort in exhaling, as if she were emptying her lungs of all the bad in her life. She couldn't tell what she needed right now, and her mind felt like one massive contradiction. She was hungry, but didn't feel like eating; she was sad, but didn't feel like crying; she was tired, but didn't feel like sleeping.

She thought of the facts the Chief had told her when he had sat in the ambulance holding her paw on the way to the hospital: Valerie and Culpeo had escaped prison the first night Judy and Nick had been in the Canal District. Miraculously, their escape had gone unnoticed until just fourteen hours prior to the explosion at the beach house on Kapok Street. As soon as the Chief had learned of Valerie and Culpeo's escape, he had attempted to get ahold of both Nick and Judy, and when his efforts bore no result, he boarded a flight to the Canal District as quickly as possible. Several officers had also been dispatched to Mrs. Wilde's home, and would remain there at all hours until the escapees were back in custody.

Judy had listened to the cape buffalo, but never replied, choosing to only stare at the metallic ceiling of the ambulance during the ride. In that moment in the ambulance, she had been incredibly grateful for the Chief, as he had been the one to carefully wrap her in a blanket and carry her from the house into one of two ambulances after he had arrived on the scene.

Once again shaking herself from thoughts that pertained to the events of the day, Judy instead thought of Alan, wondering if it was raining in Downtown Zootopia and if he was seated at a window in Mrs. Wilde's cozy living room, watching the rain fall. She smiled a little at the thought. Oh, how ready she was to be home.

A small knock came at the door, startling Judy.

"Come in," she called in a small voice.

"Hey, Fluff," Nick stated from the doorway with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

The fox's head and left arm had both been bandaged. He also had a few scrapes here and there, but he looked well otherwise. Judy smiled at him as he sat on the edge of her hospital bed.

"Tired," she chuckled. "How are you?"

"Not bad," Nick shrugged. "Few stitches – nothing horrible. I've been through worse. I've already been released, and they're filling out your paperwork now."

Judy nodded, and then turned her attention back to the rain pattering against the window. Nick watched her thoughtfully. He inhaled sharply at the recent memory of her lying on a destroyed floor, dust all around her, his paw in hers after he had managed to stumble his way over to her.

"Nick, I… I think I… I think I just had a miscarriage," she had said quietly, her eyes only focused on the sinking ceiling above.

He hadn't known what to say.

The two were silent for a few moments, before Nick cleared his throat.

"The Chief said you can take a few weeks off, if you'd like."

"That's very nice of him, but I won't be needing it."

"I figured you'd say that," Nick smirked.

Once again, the two were silent. Nick thought over what he wanted to say next carefully, trying to tread lightly.

"Judy," Nick began, placing a paw on Judy's right leg, bringing her attention from the window and back to him. "Nobody knew."

"I know," Judy sighed.

"And we… we don't have to say anything. It can stay between us. Chief Bogo won't say anything either."

Judy nodded, then looked down at her paws.

"Valerie knew," she stated bitterly.

"They're going to get her, Carrots."

"No, _we_ ' _re_ going to get her. This doesn't change anything."

"I think this changes everything," Nick argued. "She wants you dead, Carrots."

"A lot of animals want us dead. That comes with the job."

"None of them have ever gone this far," Nick said with a shake of his head. "She's obsessed with you!"

"The feeling's mutual," Judy muttered. "I can't just walk away from this, Nick. This isn't just another case, okay? This isn't Night Howlers making the predators go savage, this isn't polar bears in a warehouse, this isn't Weaselton and his Black Market sales! This is personal."

"Maybe it's getting too personal. Maybe you should step away from this."

"I'll step away from it when the Chief agrees with you."

"He _does_ agree with me," Nick argued. "But arguing with you never works. What about knowing when to quit, Judy?"

"That was years ago," Judy scoffed, remembering her and Nick's earliest cases.

"It still applies! You think you can just throw yourself at any problem, but there are so many animals who care about you and who you care about. You have to think of them. It isn't just you anymore! We have kids, Judy!"

"I'm well aware of that, Nick," Judy defended, her voice rising. "We knew the risks of this job, _I_ knew the risks of this job. It's just this one case and then we don't have to worry anymore."

"But there will always be other cases–"

"But not like this!

"Judy!" Nick stated firmly, his paws grabbing Judy's. "I will not watch you die. We have had too many close calls. We've spent too many nights in hospital beds, broken too many bones. We've gotten lucky so many times, but that luck is going to run out, and I will not raise our children alone."

The two sat in silence for a brief moment, their eyes locked on each other, amethyst staring into green before Nick exhaled slowly.

"I still remember all of those nights we spent in my crummy apartment, eating take-out, and talking over the latest case. If you asked me back then to take a guess at my future, it would be nothing close to this," Nick said as he gestured around him. "I never would have guessed that I'd end up with a rabbit as a wife and have four kids that call me 'dad.' I never would have predicted all of the bad situations we've been in. I never would have predicted all of the awful things Valerie has done to you." Nick paused and swallowed hard. "I… I never would have predicted that we would lose any children."

Judy felt a lump form in her throat at his words. Nick squeezed her paws reassuringly.

"I know you won't walk away from this, Judy. You have to finish this, I know. All I'm asking is that we do it together, that you don't think you have to finish this alone, okay? Promise me you won't finish this alone."

Judy nodded slowly.

"I promise."

"Good," Nick said with half of a smile. "Let's go home."


	9. Chapter 9

The following morning, the couple was joined by Chief Bogo on their journey to their flight departing from the Canal District at 5:45. The three arrived at the airport about an hour prior to their flight's departure time. They unloaded their baggage from the back of the cab they had employed that morning and entered the airport's main entrance. Thankfully, Nick and Judy's baggage had remained almost completely unscathed in the explosion, as the bomb had been placed so that its detonation only caused damage to the front of the beach house rather than the rear. After Nick and Judy had been transported to the hospital, and the house had been cleared for any other explosives, officers had retrieved the couple's possessions. Nick and Judy's cellphones had also been recovered in an empty beach house just a few houses down from their own. It was clear that this empty beach house had been the place Valerie had squatted at during her time in the Canal District, as several photographs of Nick and Judy on their trip were found in the home along with the cellphones. Officers had also found all of the components that had gone into making the bomb that had nearly leveled Nick and Judy's beach house.

Valerie, however, was nowhere to be found.

Her ragged mugshot was plastered over every media outlet within hours of the bombing, and reports were officially released confirming the identity of the recovered body as Culpeo thanks to Judy's information. The media was having an absolute field day with the information pertaining to Valerie, as there was much to report on – from her original kidnapping of an officer to her escape from prison to her murdering her partner to her bombing a home that two officers had been staying in. There were also several reports pertaining to Judy, as rumors circled that she would be leaving the police force as a result of the danger Valerie posed to her and her family.

After being released from the hospital, the couple had spent the last night of their trip in the same motel that the Chief had taken temporary residence in. They had talked late into the night, and then had awoken early, so they were quite exhausted by the time they reached the airport.

Despite his injured arm, Nick still insisted on carrying Judy's suitcase along with his own. The stitches on his head were not as heavily bandaged as they had been the previous day, as Nick had opted for switching out the full head wrap for small bandages. Judy followed closely behind the fox as he checked them in at an electronic kiosk and delivered their suitcases to the airport's baggage claim. She was wearing a dark green t-shirt that was just a little too big for her and black leggings, actually looking less tired than she felt.

"Ready, Darling?" he asked as he took her paw, leading her over to begin the security check procedures.

On the two-hour flight, Judy said nothing, instead choosing to rest her head on Nick's right shoulder, her paws grasping onto his arm as it laid on the arm rest that separated their seats. Nick watched her carefully, gently stroking her paws with his free one. A few times during the flight, Judy heard Nick and the Chief exchange a few words, but she was too lost in her thoughts to register what they discussed.

At about 7:45 that morning, their flight landed at the Zootopia International Airport. As the plane taxied to its gate, Nick pulled a baseball cap of his that he rarely wore from his carry-on bag that had been resting at his feet during the flight.

"Put this on," Nick whispered as he handed the hat to Judy, who looked at him confused. "Pull it down so that it covers your face."

"Why?"

"Delgato and Fangmeyer are picking up our bags," Nick continued, ignoring her question. "We're going straight to the ZPD vehicle that's parked out front."

"Nick, I don't understand."

"There are going to be a lot of reporters out there."

"There weren't any reporters at the airport in the Canal District."

"The media didn't know when we were leaving, but there have apparently been some leaks," Nick said quietly, glancing around. "I imagine some animals on the plane recognized you."

"We've dealt with reporters before," Judy scoffed, slightly amused as she pulled the baseball cap over her ears.

"Not like this, Carrots," Nick muttered as he pulled the bill of the cap lower so that it shielded Judy's face as best as possible. "Just stay close to me."

Judy assumed that Nick was just being protective of her while she was in such a fragile position after the miscarriage, overexaggerating the media presence so that she would expect more than what was actually awaiting them. Only when they exited their gate and stepped into the central part of the airport did she realize how right Nick had been. A crowd made up of dozens of reporters, all with cameras at the ready, immediately swarmed them. To add to the whole affair, almost every pair of eyes in the immediate area was focused on the spectacle that was taking place. The Chief walked a few feet in front of Nick and Judy, acting as the initial barrier between the mass of reporters that met the three.

"No comments will be made!" he called loudly. "Please step back!"

Judy felt Nick put his arms around her, bringing the bunny close to his body as he kept her just a half-step behind him so that he could push through the crowd while they followed the large cape buffalo. Judy kept her eyes on the ground as the reporters yelled her name, hurtling questions at her.

"Officer Hopps! Can you comment on the current situation with Valerie?"

"Are you worried about your safety?"

"What's the ZPD's next move in apprehending the suspect?"

"Hopps, what do you think Valerie will do next?"

The procession continued out onto the sidewalk that wrapped around the airport. An unmarked, ZPD-owned, black SUV was parked on the curb. Two officers stood on the side of the car facing the crowd, the back-right door of the vehicle open. A few more steps, and they would be in the quiet comfort of the SUV.

"Officer, should the city be worried?"

"Why does Valerie hold such a vendetta against you, Hopps?"

"Officer Hopps! You and your partner are the ZPD's best officers – are you planning on leaving the force?"

"Thoughts on where the suspect could be now?"

They were to the car now, almost inside. Chief Bogo stepped behind the couple, shielding them from the crowd with the help of two other officers as Nick moved to direct Judy into the dark interior of the parked car. Judy had one foot up on the side of the car, her paws placed on the sides of the door in preparation to pull herself upward once she shifted her weight forward.

"Officer Hopps, is it true you had a miscarriage following the bombing in the Canal District?"

Judy stopped.

One foot perched on the car's side, the other still on the sidewalk, and her arms stretched out as they grasped the door, the bunny turned back toward the reporters who had gone almost completely silent at the question that had rang out louder than the rest. In that moment, Nick couldn't help but also turn, both meeting the eyes of a young badger reporter who anxiously stared back, confirming he had been the one to ask the revealing question.

Judy felt her heart drop. No one needed to say anything; the look in both her and Nick's eyes had been enough. That split second of quiet was gone, and the reporters' questions immediately shifted to the new subject, cameras flashing quickly to catch the hurt expression on Judy's face.

"Officer Hopps, is the miscarriage rumor true?"

"How far along were you?"

"Is Valerie truly to blame for this tragedy?"

Nick quickly shoved Judy into the SUV, scrambling in behind her as he did so. The Chief quickly joined them, slamming the door shut behind them as the two accompanying officers slid into the two front seats.

As the car sped away from the curb, the group took a moment to digest the situation in the quiet confines of the SUV. After a few moments, Nick opened his mouth to angrily ask how such a critical piece of personal information had reached the media, but he was cut short as Judy's cellphone rang out from her bag. Judy slid the phone from her bag and looked dishearteningly at the caller identification on the screen: "Mom & Dad"


	10. Chapter 10

"Oh, sweet cheese and crackers," Judy sighed as she stared down at the illuminated screen of her cellphone that depicted a picture of her parents.

"You don't have to answer it," Nick said, placing a paw on Judy's leg reassuringly. "You can talk to them later."

The two watched the phone quietly, letting it ring a few more times until it went silent. Judy exhaled slowly and dropped her phone in her lap, turning her attention to the world passing by outside of the car window as they drove to Mrs. Wilde's home. She tried to lean back in her leather seat and relax, as they were almost to their destination. She would be able to hold and kiss her children soon. Judy smiled at the thought, wondering what her four beautiful children were doing at that moment, but she was interrupted by her phone ringing loudly once more.

"I have to answer it," she said tiredly after she silently read the caller identification on the screen.

"They're probably just worried," Nick reasoned.

"What am I supposed to even say?" Judy muttered.

Nick shook his head sadly as the car came to a stop in front of Mrs. Wilde's comfortable looking home.

"We'll be inside," the Chief said gruffly as he opened his car door.

Nick and Judy watched the two officers follow the Chief from the vehicle and up the slope of the small lawn to Mrs. Wilde's front porch, where they knocked on the door.

"Nick?"

"Yes?" Nick responded, turning to face the bunny.

Judy's phone was still ringing.

"Do you think I could have a minute?" she asked with a gesture toward her cellphone.

"Of course, Carrots," Nick replied quickly, kissing her on the cheek before opening the car door. He gave her one last small smile, then shut the door and turned toward the house.

Now completely alone in the car, Judy took a deep breath and braced herself. She then slid her paw across the screen, accepting the call. She tried to put on a bold face as the camera loaded and a video image of her mother appeared.

"Is it true?"

Her mother's voice was anxious and hurried. Judy opened her mouth to play dumb, to ask what her what she was talking about, to pretend that everything was perfectly fine, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything in defense. She felt a crushing pressure building in her chest, a sob now building in her throat as tears began to sting her eyes.

"Yes," she cried quietly.

"Oh, Judy," her mother sighed, heartbreak in her voice. "I just saw the news."

"I was afraid you would. I should have told you."

"How far along were you?"

"Eight weeks," Judy said as she wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I know that's not very far along, but–"

"Judy, don't apologize; it doesn't matter how far along you were, Honey. It's still going to hurt, and animals understand that. I can see why you didn't tell anyone, and I'm sorry you have to now. This isn't fair to you."

"I know, I just–" Judy sobbed, unable to continue.

She shook her head, lowering it into her free paw.

"I know, Honey, I know," her mother said gently. "Take a moment to breathe. Just take your time."

Judy inhaled shakily, trying to calm herself with little success.

"I just wish you were here," she finally choked out.

"I'll head up there then."

"No, no," Judy said quickly with a small smile, wiping the last of her tears away as she spoke. "I'm okay. Don't come all of the way out here."

"Well, alright," Judy's mother nodded, still not looking entirely convinced. "But you let me know if you need me, and I'll be there as fast as I can, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, Mom."

"Now, tell me what happened, Dear."

Judy recounted the events of the honeymoon trip to her mother, trying to include as many details as she could remember. Her mother listened intently, asking questions here and there. It took Judy a while to talk about the explosion and its aftermath, as it still made her emotional, but she was able to get through it and she felt the pressure in her chest lighten as she finally let her feelings out. It was almost an hour later when she finished, and once she completed the story, she found that she was crying again, and that her mother was near tears.

"You were so brave, Judy, _so_ brave," her mother sniffled. "I am so proud of you and all you have accomplished."

"Thank you for talking to me, Mom; I really needed it."

"You will get through this, Judy. Give yourself time to grieve. I love you, Honey."

"I love you, too, Mom."

With that, the call ended. Judy lowered her phone and sighed heavily.

"I will get through this," she repeated to herself quietly. "I will get through this."

During that hour that Judy and her mother talked, a similar conversation was being had inside Mrs. Wilde's home, as Nick explained to his mother what had happened on their trip while she boiled water in a kettle for tea. Chief Bogo and the two accompanying officers sat in the living room adjacent to the kitchen, watching Nick and Judy's four children – an uncomfortable responsibility for the three who had no real experience with children.

"I don't know how to be there for her right now, Mom," Nick said with a shake of his head after he had brought her up to speed. "Usually I know what to say or do, but this is something that affects her internally more than it does me. I'm upset, of course, but it's clear that this is just… _eating_ at her. She feels so far away, and I don't know how to reach her."

"Nicholas, I don't think you'll ever be able to reach her on this. She's been through so much – you both have! But this… this is something that truly questions her very being. Right now, she's blaming herself because she genuinely thinks that this miscarriage proves she isn't capable enough – that she isn't _strong_ enough – to protect her own children."

"But that isn't true at all!"

"Exactly," Mrs. Wilde said gently. "But Judy has always been afraid of failure, and to her, this is the ultimate failure. And on top of all of that, now the whole city knows – thanks to the media! None of us can possibly understand how she's feeling right now."

Mrs. Wilde retrieved the kettle from the stovetop and refilled her mug, sighing deeply as she did so. Nick watched her quietly, knowing from experience that his mother had more to say.

"Nicholas," she continued. "Judy is a brilliant rabbit; she's an excellent officer, mother, and wife. When I first met her about four years ago, you two were in the hospital after that polar bear accident and you had just learned you were expecting. At first, I thought 'Nicholas, a father? Oh, dear.' But when I met that rabbit, I knew you two were going to be just fine. You couldn't have picked a better animal, Nicholas."

"Thank you, Mom," Nick smiled.

" _We_ know that Judy is phenomenal, but right now, _she_ doesn't know that. We need to remind her."

Nick mulled this over for a minute before looking up at his mother with a grin. "Do you think you could watch the kids for one more day?"

"Of course, Dear. Is everything okay?"

"I think I have an idea."


	11. Chapter 11

"Nick, where are we going?"

"It's a surprise, Carrots. Keep your eyes covered."

"We've been walking forever and–"

"Oh, look out!" Nick exclaimed as he quickly steered the blind bunny out of the way of a lamppost. Judy gave a noise of annoyance.

"Can I take off the blindfold so I can at least walk properly?" she asked.

"Hey, I'm doing a great job of guiding you."

"You let me hit a mailbox a few blocks back!"

"Yeah, but you have to admit," Nick chuckled. "It was pretty funny."

"Nick!"

"We're almost there, I promise."

It was a warm Sunday morning, and the streets of Downtown Zootopia were fairly quiet as most animals took the last day of the week to sleep in or handle their weekly chores before heading back to their respective jobs on Monday morning. It had been a week since the couple had returned from their honeymoon trip in the Canal District. Following their return, Nick and Judy had primarily focused their schedules on spending time with their children after being gone for a week. They had had a busy first week back, as they had returned to work on Tuesday, where they were met with a flood of activity as Valerie was still missing. The media had also been quite an issue, as reporters swarmed the ZPD and the Wilde Family residence as often as possible, tossing questions out at a rapid pace. Headlines all over the city read "Renowned Officer Miscarries After Deadly Encounter with Escaped Convict."

Judy's miscarriage and her ties to Valerie were the hottest stories, and they were grossly exaggerated and exploited for viewership. Chief Bogo had held a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, reassuring the public that the ZPD was doing everything to apprehend the suspect, while also asking the media to be considerate of the Wilde Family in such a delicate time. This press conference seemed to somewhat deter the media, but the family was still hounded on a regular basis. After Nick and Judy's return, several officers had also been dispatched as security for the Wilde Family, following them when they left the house and patrolling the neighborhood when they didn't. These officers served not only as a barrier between the family and the media, but also as a thick layer of protection against Valerie.

At home, the Wilde Family tried to return to their definition of normalcy. With the kids' shared fourth birthday in just a few weeks, Judy and Nick tried to focus on planning a party that suited all four of the kids' wildly different interests.

Internally reminding herself to just keep moving forward, Judy attempted to busy herself constantly – from jogging around the neighborhood to cleaning the house to reading, Judy seemed to always be doing something nowadays. At times, her thoughts would turn back to Valerie, and each time, she would inhale deeply and say "stop" aloud to herself. Nick had noticed the newly developed habit, but said nothing, as he knew it was Judy's way of processing. He was worried about her, but he followed her lead and attempted to keep moving forward, not prying at how she was feeling even when he wanted to.

That morning, Nick cashed in on his favor toward his mother and drove the children to Mrs. Wilde's home before Judy had awoken. After the several minutes of convincing it took to get Judy to put on a blindfold, the couple began their journey out onto the streets of Downtown Zootopia, their security following behind at a reasonable distance.

"And you said this is an 'all day thing?'"

"Yep."

"But what about the kids?"

"They'll stay with my mom until we pick them up later this evening."

"We leave them with your mother so much," Judy sighed. "One of these days, they're either going to start assuming we've abandoned them, or your mother will lose her mind."

"It's just one day, Carrots," Nick laughed. "You worry too much."

Judy gave another small noise of annoyance as Nick continued to steer her forward along the sidewalk, some passerby giving them intrigued looks. After a few more moments, Nick stopped and turned Judy to her left.

"And here we are," he announced as he removed her blindfold.

Judy blinked against the light, then looked up at the sign over her head that read "Jumbeaux's Ice Cream Shop." Recognition dawning in her eyes, the bunny immediately grinned. Seeing her smile, Nick felt pride swell in his chest; Judy hadn't smiled like that since before the explosion.

"Oh, Nick," she said affectionately. "Is this–?"

"Where we first met?" Nick finished her question with a smirk. "Yes, yes, it is."

 _"…Officer...?"_

 _"Hopps! Mr…?"_

 _"Wilde, Nick Wilde."_

Judy smiled wider as she remembered the first time she had laid eyes upon the hustler, Nick Wilde.

"We haven't been here in years," she breathed.

"We aren't quite done yet, Carrots. Today, we're taking a trip down memory lane," Nick dramatically announced. "We're going to go to all of the places that hold memories for us."

"Are you being serious?" Judy laughed.

"Deadly," Nick chuckled. "Come on."

Holding paws, the two left the ice cream shop and set out on their journey.

Their second destination was a bridge on the outskirts of the city. Here, Judy had found Nick after their first fight over the biological nature of predators as described by Judy in a press conference following the wrongful arrest of Mayor Lionheart in the Night Howler case. It was under this bridge that Judy and Nick had settled their differences and made up, Judy crying her apology.

"You know," Nick laughed. "You looked good in your farm clothes."

Their third destination was a diner just a few blocks from the ZPD where the two had frequently picked up take-out from in their earlier years as officers. The fourth destination was just a few meters away down from the diner, as it was the coffee shop where the two had gotten coffee almost every day over the years, and where they had taken part in an epic game night that sparked a bet between them. The fifth destination was Nick's old apartment that the two had eventually shared.

"This is so illegal," Judy hissed as she watched Nick pick the lock to the apartment.

"Relax," Nick smirked. "The apartment's vacant, and besides, you can't tell me you don't want to see it after all of these years."

"You've got me there," Judy agreed with hesitation.

"Got it," Nick said pridefully as the door swung open, revealing the small apartment, now unfurnished and completely empty.

Both breathed a content sigh at the sight of their first home. Here, they had spent late nights discussing the cases they were working on, had confessed their love for one another, had fought and made up, had started their lives together.

Their sixth destination was the Zootopia Maximum Security Prison, where Nick had officially asked Judy to be his girlfriend, something she finally agreed to a little while after.

"Romantic," Judy chuckled as she looked up at the large grey building.

"Hey," Nick shot back. "This is where everyone asks their mate to go steady with them."

Their seventh destination was the parking lot of the Zootopia Police Department, where Judy had first told Nick she was pregnant on his birthday in their SUV. The eighth destination was their current home, which was their first house they bought together in order to welcome their children with more space. In their current home, Nick had proposed not just once, but twice, officially moving them into the next phase of their lives. The ninth destination was the Hospital of Zootopia, where Nick and Judy had spent quite some time, in all honesty. However, the place held good memories as Nick and Judy had unofficially married each other here right before Judy had given birth to their four healthy children.

Their final destination brought them to the Zootopia Natural History Museum, where they had not only finished their first case many years ago, but had also married each other only a few months ago. Judy looked around the empty event room and sighed happily.

"Right to you," she smiled as she looked at Nick and repeated the phrase the two had coined to help with their anxieties that came with their wedding day.

"Right to me," Nick said as he returned the smile and pulled Judy in for a kiss.

When the two broke apart, they remained in each other's grasp, still staring at the large room.

"Thank you for doing this, Nick," Judy said quietly. "I needed this."

"I know you did."

"I can't believe we've been together for eight years."

"Yeah, we're going to have to get divorced just to add some spice to our life."

Judy broke out laughing. "Yeah, because our life doesn't already have enough spice."

"I love you, Carrots."

"I love you more."

"Frankly, that's debatable."


	12. Chapter 12

That night, Judy awoke to a strange noise.

It was late, the moon casting a muted gray light on the end of the bed and the floor, the house completely silent with the exception of the rain hammering the windows. Judy could hear the distant late-night traffic in Downtown Zootopia and smiled lightly at the image of tires sliding across wet pavement, the smell of rain in the air. Moving slowly, the bunny sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before glancing over and chuckling at a snoring Nick, sprawled across his side of the bed. Judy held her breath, taking in the thunderstorm silence of the night around her; it was almost comforting. Almost.

Judy felt her fur prickle as her ears straightened to attention, listening intently to the silence that suddenly took on an eerie quality. The children were fast asleep in the next room – but no, they couldn't be; a strange noise was coming from the baby monitor seated on Judy's nightstand. The noise was quiet, barely audible through the sound of the rain outside. It was the kind of quiet Nick would shrug off with a smirk and a casual reply of "it's nothing, Carrots," but something inside of Judy knew better. She looked at the little monitor curiously, then retrieved a dark object from beneath her pillow and tucked it into the band of her pajama pants before sliding from the bed and moving to quietly sneak out of the master bedroom. As Judy moved for the hallway, a curious thing happened – in a very rare moment, her head was advising her differently than her heart. Her head rationally told her that the sound must be one or more of the children awake and tossing around in bed, but her heart – no, her instincts – told her something dangerous was lurking in the night. Unfortunately, a form of exhaustion that stretched much deeper than waking up in the middle of the night prevented her from accurately recognizing this difference between her head and her heart.

Judy wasn't paying enough attention to see that the light in the next bedroom was on, it's soft glow apparent through the opening at the base of the door. Still a little sleepy, the rabbit watched her paws as she opened the door leading to the children's bedroom, letting it click softly open before looking up in a momentarily confused haze and coming face-to-face with something straight out of her nightmares.

There stood Valerie with a tiny Alan cradled against her left hip, and a pistol in her right paw.

"Hi, Judy."

"Valerie," Judy breathed, glancing at Alan and then at her three other children who were huddled together in Violet's bed, whimpering slightly. "What are you–?"

"Call Nicky," Valerie commanded, cutting Judy off. "We don't want him waking up and alerting the authorities without our knowledge, now do we?"

Judy nodded, nervous and still in a tired haze. Judy's heart had sunk when her eyes had rested upon Valerie and Alan, and now she almost felt hopeless. For a brief moment, Judy had a horrific vision of a tiny coffin and–

"Nick!" she called loudly, shaking herself from her thoughts as she knocked on the wall that connected the two rooms – something the couple did during the night whenever one needed help with the children and the other was in bed.

The two listened as Nick obediently shuffled out of bed and toward the children's room at the noise.

"I'm coming, Carrots, what's–?"

Nick stopped at the sight of the scene, absolutely speechless.

"Good," Valerie grinned. "Come have a seat with your other children, Nicky."

"Get out of my home, snake," Nick growled, immediately flashing his incisors.

"Now, Nick," Valerie shot back coldly, gesturing the gun toward the baby fox in her arms and making both Nick and Judy flinch slightly. "You don't want to lose any more children now, do you?"

Without another word and a very concerned look directed at Judy, Nick moved past his wife and sat down with the other three children, taking them into his arms and shushing them gently.

"You are insane," Judy said angrily, her blood beginning to boil. "I won't let you do this to my family."

"What are you going to do, Judy? Dart me and then send me back to prison?"

"Not this time," Judy breathed.

The bunny then pulled a small handgun from the band of her pajama pants and aimed at the vixen. Unbeknownst to Nick, she had started carrying a second gun with her after they were attacked in the Canal District. The gun never left her body. She was ready to end this fight, and she had been ready for a long time.

"I am going to kill you," the rabbit hissed.

At the sight of the gun in Judy's paws, Valerie faltered slightly; this was not Judy's police-issued tranquilizer gun. Nick blinked in surprise at the sight of Judy holding the gun that was meant to kill rather than subdue; there was a cold look in the rabbit's eyes.

"We've been going back and forth for months, and it ends today," Judy said, her voice dropping down a few octaves. "The way I see it, there are two options here: you can put my son down and go back to prison without a fuss, and I can assure you no harm will come to you."

At this promise, Valerie scoffed, but Judy continued.

"There are a lot of animals who want you dead, Valerie, but I promise you will be given the highest security the ZPD can offer," she paused, her eyes deadly and her voice dropping to a hiss. "But if you refuse… well, then I am going to empty the clip in this gun – and I can assure you that I never miss a shot."

"Is that so?" the vixen spat back.

"It is," Judy said with a small chuckle. "Unless you kill me, of course. But I think we both know I'm a lot tougher than I look. Failing really isn't a characteristic of mine."

The vixen could only laugh a hollow laugh at Judy's threats, but Judy felt Valerie's nervousness, saw her body tense.

"Surprised?" Judy asked playfully.

"You think you're so tough, Judy, Love, but you're only inflating your own ego."

"Oh-ho, _I_ ' _m_ the one inflating their ego?" Judy laughed dryly. "You're only here because I've hurt your feelings more than anyone else."

"Hurt my feelings? What are we – cubs?"

"Admit it, Valerie, I have everything you want. I have a job you failed to attain, married the fox you never stopped having feelings for, had his children. I built my life from the ground up, and have done it again and again over the years. You think you can come in and tear it all down? You haven't even made it over the fence," Judy spat with venom.

Valerie only stared, a grimace on her face. It was evident she hadn't been expecting this level of resistance from the bunny. The claws were out, that was clear.

"Now, put my son down," Judy said coldly after a few moments of stale silence. "Or I will shoot you."

"Did you really think it was going to be _that_ easy?" Valerie sneered back quickly. "You aren't in charge–"

"No, I don't think you understand," Judy said loudly over the fox. "I'm done with your games and I'm done listening to you talk. Now, _put my damn son down_."

"And what if I say 'no,' Judy? Are you really going to shoot me in front of your family, shoot me while I'm holding your baby? Don't tell me you'd allow him to be traumatized in such a fashion."

"Nick, take the children outside," Judy stated coolly, her eyes still on Valerie.

"Carrots, don't listen to her; she's only trying to anger you," Nick whispered.

"Well, it's working," Judy remarked bitterly. "Take the kids outside. They don't need to see this."

"Carrots, I'm not going anywhere," Nick argued, his voice rising with agitation.

"Go," Judy said firmly. "Unless Valerie here objects?"

"Not at all," Valerie replied sweetly. "This is between us. I'll attend to them later."

"Well, then it's settled. Take them to the car, Nick."

"Judy, you can't be serious–"

Judy shot a glance at Nick. To Valerie, the glance exchanged between the two looked threatening, almost toxic, but between the couple, the message read loud and clear: "trust me."

Without another word, Nick scooped the three remaining children and quickly ushered them out of the room, leaving Judy and Valerie (and, of course, Alan) alone.

"Feel better?" Valerie smirked.

"Much. Put him down."

" _No_ ," Valerie said defiantly. "Come on, Judy, Sweetheart! Don't just _stand there_ with that look in your eye, and your paw on the trigger, throwing threats at me. _Do_ something!"

Judy only remained still, letting the tension in the room peak as she watched Alan wriggle uncomfortably in the vixen's grasp.

"You want to know why you can't pull that trigger?" Valerie laughed violently. "You're _weak_!"

"Why don't you put that gun down and find out just how 'weak' I am?" Judy smirked.

An evil grin flickered across the predator's face.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Yes."

Without a moment's hesitation, Judy took aim at Valerie's right shoulder and fired. Before Valerie could even register the noise of the gun or the sudden pain spreading through her shoulder, Judy was on top of her, both guns cast aside, a shocked Alan wrestled from the fox's grasp. Then the bunny was gone, racing toward the front door with her son cradled against her chest. She slid down the carpeted stairs before immediately throwing herself right and down the hallway that led to the front door, which had been carelessly left open just as she had known Nick would do. The terrifying growls coming from Valerie not far behind pushed Judy harder as she ran for the exit.

" _NICK_!" Judy screamed as she turned and slid hard into the open door to stop herself. Nick was there, just at the base of the porch steps as he had already been running to get back to Judy after hearing the gunshot. In a split second, the couple's eyes caught one another through the pouring rain, their expressions wild. Without a moment's hesitation, Judy threw Alan in an upward arc out of the door just before a furious Valerie slammed into her. Judy saw Nick dive forward and catch the little fox in his arms. At the same time, she kicked her feet out in an attempt to stop the fox who was now viciously snapping her razor-like teeth at the bunny.

" _GO_!' Judy screeched at Nick again as she kicked Valerie backwards and dove at her.

Nick, torn between his wife and his children, hesitated momentarily. Shaking himself mentally, Nick tore away from the spot in front of the porch and ran for the black SUV parked in the driveway, where he rapidly buckled a stunned, but surprisingly silent, Alan into his seat. He then jumped into the driver's seat and roughly backed the car into the street. He didn't even have time to think of Judy as he shifted the car's gear and sped from the neighborhood, snatching up the police radio's microphone from the dash as he did so.

In the house, Judy fought for her life as she heard the SUV's tires screech away. The rabbit kicked, punched, and scratched at the fox, attempting to free herself so that she could make her way back upstairs to the children's room where she knew two guns were lying on the floor. Valerie made it nearly impossible, lunging at her repeatedly, her teeth only centimeters from Judy's face.

"Oh, hell!" Judy yelled in an exasperated voice. "I am so _sick_ of you! I can't get one minute to myself without you threatening my family or blowing up my house!"

Judy managed to slam the fox into one of the surrounding walls in the hallway and tried to make a dash for the stairs, only to be snatched by Valerie once again. Judy kicked away, scrambling up the steps. Valerie on her heels, Judy managed to make it to the children's bedroom and attempted to slam the door, but the vixen's strength outmatched the rabbit's. The two struggled with the door for a few moments before Judy turned and dove for the nearest gun that happened to be her own. Valerie tackled Judy once more just before the bunny's paw could grasp the weapon, this time sinking a bite into Judy's right arm as the two collapsed on the floor.

" _Ah_!" Judy cried out in pain, still struggling and now feeling her energy beginning to quickly leave her.

Judy was barely able to hold Valerie off as she let out a loud growl and lunged once more, her now-bloodied teeth flashing. The bunny looked around her wildly, her gaze darting across the window in the room and then darting back quickly at the shocking sight that hadn't quite registered with Judy in the first glance. The window was open.

Judy quickly jumped to the conclusion that this was how Valerie must have gotten into their home, but her thoughts then jumped to little Alan and his love of the rain. Here, Judy's head rationally told her that Valerie had opened the window, but her heart – no, her love for her son – told her Alan had naively opened that window to smell the rain and may have just saved her life in doing so. She preferred to believe the latter.

With that, Judy mustered her last bit of strength and kicked at Valerie with everything she could give. The vixen fell back momentarily with a hiss, giving Judy just enough time to snatch the gun. However, Judy knew that if she turned to shoot at Valerie, she couldn't ensure she would hit her target even if she was able to fire off a shot before Valerie tackled her again. She also knew that if Valerie tackled her before she fired, she wouldn't have enough strength to prevent the fox from wrestling the gun from her grasp. No, Judy didn't shoot – in fact, she didn't even turn – she took a couple of long strides and pushed her way out of the window.

Everything then happened very fast. Judy didn't have enough time to scream before she was tumbling on to the top of the gazebo that protected the patio in the backyard and then sliding ungracefully to the flooded ground below. She then ducked for cover when several gunshots sounded from above as Valerie fired her retrieved gun from the window the rabbit had just leapt from. After three missed shots, Judy heard the vixen growl, then heard nothing but the rain pummeling down, the eerie silence in the thunderstorm filling her ears once more. The bunny wiped the water from her face and struggled to her feet, gun in paw, prepared to fight the monster she knew was coming.

Moments later, the glass door that connected the house and the backyard slid open violently, and a nasty growl echoed through the night as a now feral Valerie launched herself on all fours through the rain toward Judy. The image before Judy reminded her of a savage Mr. Manchas racing toward her one rainy night in the Rainforest District many years ago. Though both predators shared the common characteristic of wanting to kill Judy, Mr. Manchas had had no control over his actions, whereas Valerie dreamt of the moment she could tear the bunny apart and that made all the difference.

 _Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Click! Click!_

The fox collapsed on the ground with a sickly thud, completely still, blood and water soaking her fur and clothing. Judy heard the fox gasp once, then there was nothing but the sound of the rain.

"Oh, God," Judy gasped as she fell back on the wet ground, the emptied gun still in her paw.


	13. Chapter 13

"Then you flip the bucket over and pat the top just like this – there ya go! Then – ta-da! You have one of the towers for your sandcastle!"

Judy smiled as her four children marveled at the perfect tower of sand she had produced from the little blue bucket.

One year, four weeks, and two days.

It had been one year, four weeks, and two days since Valerie's death. To Judy it felt like it had just happened yesterday, but it also managed to feel like it had happened years ago, perhaps in a past life. She didn't have nightmares anymore, didn't have to remind herself to keep moving forward each day, didn't have to say "stop" aloud to prevent her negative thoughts from creeping in. No, she found that these things had disappeared once Valerie had. Now that didn't mean she didn't still feel the shockwaves of Valerie's actions in her life. There were times when Judy would catch herself staring out into the backyard through the sliding glass door, her mind empty and a strange hole aching somewhere in her chest.

Quite a bit had changed in one year. Another Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day, Easter, and Fourth of July had passed. Birthdays had also passed; Judy now thirty-four-years-old, Nick now forty-two, the kids now each five. Judy and Nick had also celebrated their anniversary marking one year since their marriage while also celebrating their anniversary marking nine years since their first case that brought their two individual worlds colliding into one another.

Both Nick and Judy had since returned to work following the official close of the case against Valerie. Judy had been welcomed back by her colleagues with a soft mentality, which she couldn't quite decide if she liked or not. The bunny had even received a medal for her "heroic actions in the face of adversity," as Chief Bogo had so professionally put it in his opening speech; another thing Judy couldn't quite pinpoint her feelings on. With this strange hole now aching somewhere in her chest, Judy had decided to slowly pick up on a routine of seeing the ZPD therapist, Itali Wolfard, though she didn't know if it was truly helping or not. After returning to work, the couple had also made the decision to willingly open themselves up to interviews and press conferences discussing the most popular case since the Night Howler incident, giving full disclosure on how Valerie had become so intricately involved in their lives and how bad the damage she had caused truly was. Judy had even surprised Nick – and the rest of Zootopia – in one particular interview with ZNN when she calmly stated that she was "still open to the possibility of having more children" when asked about her rumored miscarriage.

One year, four weeks, and two days later, it seemed that life had returned to normal for the Wilde Family. Following the kids' fifth birthday party, the family had decided to take a family summer vacation and return to the Canal District for a week in which they explored the busy stores, the Zootopia Space Station, and the sunny Beach of Zootopia.

"Again, Mommy! Do it again!" the children demanded of Judy, making her laugh as she happily complied to their wishes and began scooping sand into the bucket.

"Alright, I've got six snow cones here," Nick announced upon his return from the Snow Leopard's Snow Cones stand on the boardwalk.

Judy chuckled at Nick's dangerous attempt to balance six small plastic cups in his arms as the children abandoned their amazement in her sandcastle abilities and squealed happily at the sight of the flavored ice.

"Cotton candy for Violet, cherry for Robin, lemonade for Red, and green apple for Alan," Nick designated as he handed the children their treats, who each happily ran off to play under the two umbrellas the family had set up on the warm sand. "Blueberry for me, and carrot for the beautiful wife," he finished with a smile.

Judy returned his smile warmly as the fox sat down next to her in the sand and handed her a cup.

"Blueberry, huh?" the bunny joked.

"Carrot, huh?" Nick shot back with a smirk.

"You'd like it if you tried it."

"I highly doubt that, but it's cute of you to try."

A moment of silence fell between the couple as they enjoyed their snow cones. With the sound of the salty waves crashing against the warm shore, and their children behind them giggling as they played, the scene seemed to breathe a sense of comfort around them. After some trepidation, Judy nibbled her lip and let out a sigh.

"Do you ever view our life as like – oh, I don't know – maybe a movie? Or maybe a badly written book?"

"I wouldn't say badly written," Nick chuckled. "Maybe a little rocky with the constant ups and downs, the emotional pulls, and the drama, but we always come back for a fluffy conclusion."

"Do you ever take anything I say seriously?" Judy laughed as she teased.

"No, not really," Nick said in a melodramatic fashion. "My character was written to be too flawed, Carrots."

The bunny and the fox laughed as Judy threw a playful punch and Nick attempted to avoid it.

"You know," Judy sighed again as she turned her attention to the vast blue ocean. "For a long time, I wanted to blame someone for what happened. I wanted to blame you when Valerie first started threatening us. I wanted to blame the academy for not teaching me enough when she kidnapped me. I wanted to blame the ZPD when it took a month for me to finally come home. I wanted to blame the prison system when she escaped, and so on. All of this time, I've been trying to blame someone – sometimes others, sometimes myself – and now that it's all over, I could take the easy way out and blame Valerie for it all. In fact, I'm sure that's what everyone is expecting, or maybe even wanting, but what good does that do? Blaming her, or anyone else for that matter, doesn't change anything. Blaming her isn't going to make the scars or the bad memories go away, or-or bring back what we lost."

"I blamed myself," Judy breathed. "For things I had absolutely no control over, and all it did was make me feel alone, like I was lost, even though I never went anywhere. It always felt like this weird mixture of this feeling where I wanted to be angry and to just break things, and this feeling where I just wanted to curl up into a ball and cry until I couldn't cry anymore. Everything was so conflicting and confusing. Everything is s _till_ so conflicting and confusing."

"Like?" Nick asked gently, listening carefully as he urged the bunny forward.

"Well, like," Judy hesitated as she stared intently ahead. "Like maybe I don't want to be an officer anymore."

Their eyes met as the sentence settled uncomfortably between them, a slightly stunned look on both of their faces.

"Well, that was sudden," Nick finally said with furrowed eyebrows as he set his snow cone aside.

"The Chief offered me a retirement plan, Nick."

"Wait, he what? When?"

"I could stay at home with the kids," Judy reasoned, ignoring his inquisitions.

"But," Nick struggled. "You've wanted to be an officer since you were a kid."

"I think my wants have changed, Nick."

"What do you want now?"

"I want my family to be safe," Judy said softly. "I want to be able to come home and go to bed at night knowing our children won't ever have to worry about the monsters in the closet turning out to be real. I don't want to have to wake up to a strange noise in the middle of the night to find one of my babies in the arms of a murderer."

"Carrots, that will never happen again."

"Nick, we never thought it would happen to begin with."

Nick paused, his jaw briefly falling open to form a reply that never came. Judy reached out and took his right paw in her left.

"Nick, I'm tired of talking about the temporary solutions. We can double security around our home, we can move across the city, we can take a sabbatical, we can take desk jobs, but how long until we encounter another case that puts us in the hospital for the umpteenth time?"

"You're my partner, Judy," Nick said in a hushed tone, hurt in his voice. "I can't do this job without you."

"And you're my partner, but I don't think I can do this job anymore," Judy said while reassuringly squeezing the fox's paw. "Nick, I want to have more kids, but I will never take that risk again while in this job."

"Carrots," Nick began, catching a glimpse of the look in Judy's eyes. "…you've really thought this through, haven't you?"

"Not entirely," Judy chuckled lightly. "I'm not really sure just yet. It's a lot to take in. This may just be a phase of mine, but I'll be honest in saying I'm considering it. It's just so–"

"Conflicting and confusing?"

"Exactly," Judy laughed.

"Well, then we will figure it out together," Nick said with a smile as he returned the reassuring squeeze to Judy's paw. "And I will support you in whatever you decide, Darling."

Judy made to respond, to tell him how much she loved him, but the couple's conversation was quickly interrupted by their children now demanding their shared want to go swimming.

Though this tough conversation was far from finished, it could wait until later. After all, both the bunny and the fox acknowledged that their story – no matter how badly written – was far from over. There would be more family vacations, more anniversaries, more birthdays, more decisions, more laughs, more tears, more fun, more disagreements, and more love. Maybe there would be more monsters like Valerie to shake their world, maybe there would be more children to fill their home, maybe there would be more cases solved by the partnership of Officer Hopps and Officer Wilde to fill their memories, but for now they were just that – "maybe." The little couple had come a long way from their first encounter a decade before, a long way neither had expected but both had thoroughly enjoyed. The knowing when to quit, all of the muzzling, the shared secrets, their family and its beginning, their Wilde wedding, and their honeymoon – not to mention the hilarious yet regretful bunny espressos, the betting they did on each other, every time they had worked it out, all of their little firsts with their children, and the great conversations – it had all led to this blissful moment on a beach with their children.

With that, Nick and Judy merely shrugged and happily swept their children off to swim in the ocean's blue, leaving the "maybe" to be dealt with at another time.

* * *

 **Well, wow, what a ride this has been.**

 **I published my first Zootopia story in March of 2016, and it's hard to believe we're here in January of 2019, almost three years later. During that time, I published twelve stories, I posted over 100 chapters, and I wrote over 150,000 words, all of them meaningful to me and hopefully to you as well.**

 **I'm writing this to inform my readers that this is my last story, at least for a while.**

 **I will continue writing in my free time (hopefully publishing some one-shots from time to time – I'd love to hear requests!), but I believe it may be quite some time before I fully dedicate myself back to writing another complete story – call it a "maybe."**

 **Thank you all so much for reading my Zootopia stories, for all of the reviews you have left, for all of the ideas you've given me, for all of your patience with me, and for all of your help in improving my writing and story-telling. I have gone through and started editing/adding to my previous Zootopia stories, so I always welcome you to read back through them. I am also currently combining all of the Zootopia stories I have written into one single story before I write any more since those completed are all connected and I know some want to see a full set of the works. I will also be working to finish the one-shot collections "Little Firsts" and "Conversations" in due time. Again, I would love to hear requests for any future one-shots!**

 **Words really can't express my gratitude to each and every one of you. I hope you all had a wonderful time over the holidays. I wish you all the best in your endeavors, and hope that life treats you well.**

 **Much love,**

 **TatorTotTottish**


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